Six Months
by sparkyCSI
Summary: Part of The FBI Files Series--A series of oneshots about what happened between the last 2 chapters of A Time to Heal. DannyOC, FlackLindsay, MacStella, HawkesOC. Rating change to M due to adult content in Chapter 5! Complete
1. Valentine's Day

**Disclaimer:**_Do I really need to do this? Fine. I am obviously not Jerry Bruckheimer or Anthony Zuiker…Do not own…Blah, Blah, Blah…And if you think that I'm getting paid for this, I can recommend a good psychiatric hospital if needed!_

**AN:** _This is the first in a series of one shots that take place between chapter 50 and 51 of my other story: A Time to Heal. It might be helpful to read that first! As always, please read and review! My muse has been temperamental lately and she needs some cheering up!_

_Many, many, many thanks to the completely awesome princessg for being my beta! I don't know what I'd do without you!_

**Valentine's Day**

Special Agent Corinne Reid groaned as the alarm clock blared in her ear. She slowly dragged herself out of bed, cursing what ever brain cells she had left for convincing her to go out the previous night with Stella, Lindsay and Lydia. She wasn't hung over, but getting only three hours of sleep made her grumpy.

She walked into the bathroom, rubbing her eyes to get the sleep out of them and glanced at herself in the mirror. _Damn. I look like shit today!_

Sighing, she got into the shower and laid her head against the cool time. The temperature difference between the tile and the hot water was helping to alleviate her headache. It wasn't until halfway out of her shower that she realized what day it was. It was Valentine's Day.

Cory smiled and put a little more effort into getting ready. If everything went as planned, she and Danny were going out to dinner that night. She smiled as she got ready. She grabbed the clothes that she had put out the previous night, put her make-up in her briefcase and walked out the door. She put everything into her car and was just buckling her seat belt when her phone rang. Cory smiled when she saw the number.

"Hey, _chica._ How are the kids?"

Nicole groaned on the other end of the phone. **"**Trust me to have kids that seem to know when Mom and Dad are going to get some alone time! They're doing a little better. Kim has an ear infection, Doug a cold and Samantha has bronchitis. Why did they _all_ have to get sick at the same time? What did I do to deserve this punishment!"

Cory chuckled lightly. "You had kids. You know something like this always happens. I'm just sorry that you had to cancel your trip. I was looking forward to seeing you up here."

Nicole just sighed again. "I know. Maybe during the summer. Or you know? You can come down and visit me? Would that be such a bad thing?"

Cory pretended to be offended. "I have an important…" She trailed off as Nicole snorted into the phone. "Alright. I'll try to make it down before Lindsay and Don's wedding. Speaking of which, I know what I'm doing for the bachelorette party."

"What?"

Cory smiled this time. "What did we do for your party?"

Nicole began to giggle. "A _toy_ party? Count me in! When are you going to have it?"

"Early May. That way the um...goods have a chance to arrive."

"That's just too perfect! Has Danny seen your new tattoo yet?"

"Nope. I'm going to surprise him with it tonight."

Nicole gasped in shock. "Are you crazy? You better remember your CPR! You are wearing…" Nicole trailed off.

Cory nodded. "Yup. I'm wearing the satin corset, with the backseam stockings under the red dress with the 4" stilettos."

Nicole couldn't help herself. She started laughing. "Please get me a picture of his face when he sees you! I just have this image of the cartoon wolf with his tongue rolling out of his mouth and his eyes jumping out of his head!"

Cory laughed. "That's the image I'm going for."

"Frederick's. Right?"

"Of course! Where else can you get scandalously sexy underwear? Listen, I'm at work now, so I'll call you tomorrow."

"Bye!"

Cory hung up the phone, still laughing at the picture of Danny she had in her head. She grabbed her things and walked into the building.

(Crime Lab)

Danny was working on processing the evidence in a brutal rape case. He was hoping to complete the case today, but wasn't feeling lucky. He smiled to himself, letting himself become distracted by the thoughts of the romantic dinner he had planned for Cory. He still had that dopey grin on his face when Hawkes walked in.

"Why are you grinning, Messer?"

Danny looked up. "Just thinking about tonight and the alone time I will have with Cory. Speaking of which, have you asked Lydia out yet?"

Hawkes smirked and shook his head. "Yeah. Our first date is tonight. What the hell was I thinking having a first date on Valentine's Day?"

Danny laughed. "I don't know, man. That just seems like it's asking for a lot. You know women expect the moon on this day!"

Flack walked in just as Danny said that. "Complaining about having to plan something for Valentine's Day, Messer?"

Danny just rolled his eyes. "Naw. I was just picking on Hawkes for having his first date with Lydia today."

Flack rolled his eyes. "Hawkes. Why would you do that? You and her have been talking for months. Why wait until today?"

Hawkes just looked at both of them. "Unlike you _cavemen_, I actually have a romantic streak that I like to use with women. It just seemed right."

Both Flack and Danny laughed at that. Finally, Danny caught his breath. "Man, you have it bad!"

Hawkes just ignored them and began to help Danny process what little evidence that they had.

Meanwhile, Stella was working on a robbery case down the hall. She looked down at her pager when it went off. She was expecting it to be DNA and was surprised when she saw that it was Mac. The page simply said, "Meet me in my office."

Drawing her eyebrows together, she turned to walk down to his office. When she got there, she noticed that Mac seemed a little nervous. "Mac? You okay?"

Mac looked up at her. He smiled a tiny bit. "I'm fine. I have a question for you."

Stella stared at him. "Okay. What?"

Mac looked a little nervous. "Um. Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

Stella shook her head. She was in shock. "Like a date?" She could see that Mac was getting even more nervous, so she decided to spare him a little bit. "Sure. I don't have any plans and wasn't looking forward to spending Valentine's Day alone. I'd love to."

Mac told her that he would pick her up at eight, at her apartment.

Smiling, Stella walked out of his office. She felt like she was floating on air.

(FBI Headquarters)

Lydia paced nervously in Cory's office. Cory watched her for about fifteen minutes before she couldn't take it anymore. "Lydia. Stop pacing. Geez! You're making _me_ nervous!"

Cory glanced at the woman. She was evidently of Latin descent, with dusky skin and long straight black hair. Her hair wasn't as long as Cory's but it was still beautiful.

She looked at Cory. "I'm sorry. But…My first date with Sheldon on _Valentine's Day?_ I'm in shock and speechless. I…" Lydia trailed off and began pacing again.

Cory smiled. She remembered the nervousness of a first date. To calm her nerves before her first date with Danny, she had completely disassembled and cleaned her gun. "Look. Lydia. Hawkes is a great guy. I think it's romantic. Where are y'all going?"

Lydia bit her lip. "Dinner. I don't know after that. He's going to pick me up from here."

Cory nodded. "What are you going to wear? What time is he picking you up?"

Lydia smiled. "I brought a nice dress to change into and he'll be here at seven. When's Danny going to pick you up?"

Cory felt her smile grow. "Seven. I wonder if they are going to come together. I happen to know that Danny likes to drive my car. What is it with men and cars?"

Lydia laughed as she rolled her eyes. "Cory. You have a Beamer. A Z4 at that! Of course he wants to drive it."

Cory giggled. "I think he prefers to see me drive it. He said something about there was something about a woman driving a stick shift." Cory rolled her eyes. "I mean, come one. Of course I know how to drive a standard. I had to learn before my mom would let me taking the driving test!"

Lydia nodded her understanding. "I think he's just floored by how well you handle the...um..._stick_." Lydia couldn't keep the laughter in any longer.

Cory felt heat creep into her cheeks. "Oh, you did _not_ just go there! I'm shocked…" Cory tried to stifle her laughter, but was unsuccessful. She began laughing so hard that tears were coming out of her eyes. "Oh, God! We need to get our minds out of the gutter. It's a fun place to visit, but living there is getting in my way of having a real life."

Lydia tried to get control of herself. "It's six o'clock. I'd better go get ready."

"I'll come with you. It's going to take me a while to create the look I want."

The woman grabbed their clothes and make-up and made their way to the bathroom to change. Cory let Lydia change first, to take time to plug in her curling iron.

When Lydia walked out of the stall, Cory felt her eyes widen in amazement. "Wow. You're gorgeous. That dress is very dramatic."

Lydia's dress was a deep burgundy, almost black and floor-length. It had three-quarter sleeves that were fitted to the elbow and flowed around her lower arms. The neckline plunged down, exposing a bit of cleavage. To go with it, she had matching stiletto heals that added at least three inches to her five-six frame.

"Really? You don't think it's too much?"

"No. Sheldon's tongue's going to be wagging when he sees you. Where did you get it?"

Lydia shrugged. "Neiman's. In an after Christmas sale a couple of years ago. This makes the second time I've worn it. How should I do my make-up?"

Cory pursed her lips as she thought about it. "Dramatic eyes, natural lips. That would be best. I'd better go get ready."

Cory quickly got dressed in the corset and matching G-string. She carefully put on her red dress over it. She found she couldn't quite zip it all the way up, so she put on her pumps and walked out of the stall. "Lydia? Can you zip me up?"

"Sure." Lydia turned to look at Cory. "Oh, my. That's an amazing dress! Are you trying to give Danny a heart attack?"

Cory smiled mischievously. "Not with the dress. What I have on underneath, maybe a little."

Lydia raised her eyebrows. "What do you have on underneath?"

Cory smiled like the Cheshire cat. "A corset and matching G-string from Frederick's." She turned and Lydia quickly zipped the dress up the rest of the way. Cory dress was a sleeveless fitted dress with a heart-shaped bodice. It was also floor length, with a slit up to mid-thigh on her left leg.

Lydia continued to admire her dress. "Where did you get yours?"

Cory thought a moment. "I don't remember the name of the store. But it was in the Galleria in Dallas. I just saw it, right before I moved here, and knew that I had to have it."

Cory turned and walked to the counter. She tested the curling iron and found it the right temperature. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail, leaving a couple of sections to frame her face. She curled her hair so that it was wavy, both in the pony tail and the sections framing her face.

Both women quickly did their make-up. Both chose to do dramatic eyes, Cory's in earth tones and Lydia with matching burgundy eye shadow.

Cory chose a red lipstick to match her dress and Lydia just used lip gloss. When they were done applying the make-up, both women dabbed a little perfume on their wrists and neck. Cory checked the time at that point. "Ten minutes to spare! And men think that all women take forever to get ready!"

Lydia nodded. "Just because some women can't organize their time, do they have to blame all of us?"

The two women laughed as they walked back to Cory's office. The few remaining employees there turned and stared at them. Some of the men greeted them with wolf whistles. They just let the praise flow off of them.

Once they had gotten everything packed back up, Cory's assistant Dean came in to tell them that the guys were there. Cory told him to let them in.

(Hawkes and Lydia)

When Hawkes walked into Cory's office, he thought his jaw was going to come unhinged. From Danny's quick breath in, he obviously felt the same way. Hawkes glanced at Cory and realized that she had pulled out all of the stops for Danny. When he got a good look at Lydia, he thought his heart had stopped beating.

"Lydia, you look gorgeous. I feel under dressed."

Lydia smiled at Hawkes. He was dressed in a conservative black suit, with a white shirt and a matching blue and white tie. "You underestimate yourself. You look absolutely handsome. Let me get my coat and bag and I'll be ready to leave."

She turned to look at Cory and saw Danny ogling her friend. She smiled briefly at Cory. "See you tomorrow. Have fun tonight."

Cory nodded.

When Lydia walked out of the office, Hawkes offered her his arm. She took it and then was surprised when he gave her a single red rose. "This rose pales in comparison to your beauty tonight."

"Thank you, Sheldon."

As they exited the building, Lydia found a black limo waiting for them. Hawkes smiled, bowed a little as he opened the door and said, "Your carriage awaits, madam."

Lydia smiled. "Why thank you, kind sir." She slid into the car and settled into the plush leather seats. "This is amazing. Where are we going for dinner?"

Hawkes smiled. "Aureole."

Lydia gasped. "Sheldon, you didn't have to." She knew how expensive that Aureole was.

Hawkes looked at. "You're right. I didn't have to. I wanted to."

Lydia just shook her head and leaned back to enjoy the ride with Hawkes' arm around her. When they got out of the limo, he again offered her his arm. He was being the perfect gentleman. He led her into the restaurant and they were seated at a small, intimate table.

The waiter was prompt in greeting them and offered them a wine list. Both chose a Pino Noir wine to go with their meal. After pursuing the menu, the both decided on the Farmer's Market Heirloom Tomato Salad for their appetizer. Lydia chose the Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Ravioli for her main course and Hawkes chose the Fine Herb Crusted Salmon.

With their orders placed, they began to talk. Hawkes looked at her. "Where are you from?"

Lydia looked at him. "My parents are from Barcelona, but I was born in New York. We traveled back to Spain every summer. My dad owned his own business, so he had the ability to take the entire summer off. My mom taught Spanish in a school in Harlem. What about you?"

"I'm from here, too. My dad is a doctor and my mom a veterinarian. It was a given that I would be a doctor. Although the big fight was would I be an animal or people doctor. I finally chose to be a surgeon."

"How did you end up a CSI?"

Hawkes smiled and refrained from answering until the salads were placed in front of them. "I worked at Trinity hospital for about five years after med school. It just got to be too hard not being able to save everyone. So I became a medical examiner. That was fine, but I found myself wanting to be the one who help to put the criminals behind bars. So last year, I requested a transfer and it was granted."

They continued to talk throughout the dinner. Lydia telling Hawkes what it was like to spend the summer in Spain and Hawkes talking about growing up in New York.

When their main courses were served, Hawkes glanced at her and realized how lucky he was to have found someone like her. "So why the FBI?"

Lydia thought about it. "I knew as a little girl that I wanted to work in law enforcement. So I went to college and got my degree in political science. I started looking around and just fell into the FBI. I've worked there for ten years now. I love my job, although…" She trailed off as she thought about how Travis had sold out his country.

Hawkes picked up on her hesitation. "Although what?"

"When Travis was identified as the mole, I almost quit. I was just so disillusioned at that point. Thankfully, Cory was there and we had a long talk about it and she convinced me to stay. I'm glad she did. I can't imagine having another job."

Just as they finished their main course, their waiter appeared like magic. "Would you like to look at the dessert menu?"

Hawkes nodded.

Lydia looked at him. "Sheldon? I don't think I can hold anymore."

Hawkes looked at her and smiled. "Trust me. We can share." He looked over the menu and pointed to the Tasting of Chocolate dessert. "Can we have this, but with two forks?"

"Of course, sir."

When they were done, Hawkes discreetly paid the bill and ushered Lydia out of the restaurant. They got back into the limo and Hawkes instructed the driver to go to Lydia's apartment.

Once there, he insisted on walking her to the door.

Once at the door she turned to him. "Sheldon. I had a wonderful time tonight."

Hawkes nodded. "Me, too. Can we do this again some time?"

Lydia nodded. "I'd love that. Although, maybe something a little more low key, next time."

"Sure." Hawkes leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. "I'll call you in a couple of days. Good night."

Lydia smiled. "Good night." She walked into her apartment and gently closed the door.

(Mac and Stella)

Stella found it very hard to concentrate on closing her case the remainder of the day after Mac asked her out. She was mentally going through her wardrobe to see what she could were. _He's seen me in the black dress, the green dress...Hmm. I wonder about the purple dress. I don't think that I've worn that around him before. Wait. Should I dress up or is this going to be a low key event. Damn. I'm the one person that knows him and I can't even think straight. What the hell is wrong with me?_

Stella took a break from her mental soliloquy. She was intently printing a piece of glass from the robbery when she felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck. Furrowing her eyebrows, she turned and saw Mac staring at her. He nodded his head and then touched his watch. Confused she looked at the time and realized that it was almost seven.

She nodded her understanding and got everything ready to leave. She left ten minutes later and broke her record for getting home quickly. She didn't allow herself time to think, she just got ready and had five minutes to spare. She was trying to calm her beating heart when there was a knock on her door.

Inhaling deeply, she grabbed her coat and purse and went to the door. She smiled as she saw Mac standing there. He was wearing a dark suit with a blue shirt and tie. She smiled nervously.

Mac stood outside of the door. When Stella answered, he forgot to breath. _She looks so beautiful. Why did I push her away for so long? That dress…_

He looked at her dress, a simple purple sheath that ended just above her knees. It had long sleeves and a simple scoop neckline. She was wearing a simple silver chain necklace to go with it. He smiled. "Hi."

Stella noticed his appraisal of her. She felt a blush creep into her cheeks. "Hi. So where are we going?"

Mac smiled. He like the fact that she spoke her mind. It reminded him a little of Claire. "It's a surprise." With that he offered her his arm and led her out of the building, to his waiting car.

Once in the car, he deftly wove through the traffic. They talked about common place things, nothing to personal. Both were unsure of how to proceed. Of how the evening would change their working relationship.

Stella looked up when Mac stopped. "Mac? Why are we at your apartment?"

Mac just smiled. "Surprise. I thought that this would be more comfortable for us both."

Stella nodded her understanding and waited for Mac to open her door. He did and offered her his arm again.

Stella took his arm gratefully and allowed him to lead her into the apartment building. He walked her to his apartment and then nodded, as he opened the door, for her to precede him.

She walked into the apartment and found it lit by soft candlelight. She could smell the spices in the air, a promise of the elegant meal to follow.

Mac exhaled nervously as he took her coat, hanging it in the closet. "I cooked dinner for us. Pot roast with baby carrots, pan fried potatoes and a salad. I'll get you a glass of wine."

Stella followed Mac into the kitchen and noticed that the table was set in an intimate setting. She sniffed the air, appreciatively. "It smells good. Thanks," she said as she accepted a glass of white wine. She took a small sip. "This is good wine. So…" She trailed off, a little unsure of herself.

Mac felt her unease. "So…Why don't you sit down and I'll get dinner." _Why is this so hard? I feel like I'm fourteen and this is my first date._

Stella accepted his offer and watched him putter around the kitchen. _Why am I so nervous? This isn't like it's my first date. _She was arguing with herself again. Then her heart decided to butt in. _It's Mac. That's why this is so hard._

She decided to confront her problem straight on. "Mac? What made you decide to actually ask me out?"

Mac was expecting the question but still had not figured out the answer for himself. "I don't know, Stell. I just couldn't not ask you out anymore." He turned to her, unaware of the emotion showing in his eyes. "It was hell when Flack was injured. But you stayed with me. Why?"

Stella looked taken aback by his question. "Because you needed me. You didn't need to sit at his bedside, alone. I knew that there was something else going on with you. Then you told me about Beirut. And I understood."

"That's just it. You understood me without me saying anything. I think that was a turning point for me. It made me consider all that I had lost by keeping you at arms length. When you were unconscious, after you had killed Frankie, it was probably a good thing. I wanted to find a way to resurrect him and kill him myself."

Stella felt a shadow come over her at the mention of Frankie. Then she comprehended exactly what Mac had said. "You would kill someone who hurt me?"

"Without a doubt and with no guilt."

Stella felt tears come to her eyes. "Wow. I had no idea you cared so much."

Mac paused. "Neither did I. But I don't want to lose you. I don't know what I would do without you."

Stella seemed to sense the tension in Mac and got up. She walked to him and put her arms around him. "Mac? I'm not going anywhere."

Mac looked up, looked into her eyes and gave into temptation. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, lightly. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and drawing him closer to her. _We fit together like a puzzle, _they both thought.

Mac let his hands come up to her face. He drew back slightly. "Stell? I don't want to move to fast. I want this to be perfect."

Stella smiled. "You're right. Let's eat dinner and then you can drive me home." She was a little relieved. She didn't want to screw this up either.

(Flack and Lindsay)

When Flack and Lindsay left their apartment on Valentine's morning, Flack made sure that he had left something behind. "Linds? I'll meet you at the car; I left my notebook on the table. I'll be right back."

"Sure, Don. Don't take too long."

Flack grinned as Lindsay got in the elevator. Quickly he made his way to his neighbor's apartment and knocked on the door. He thought about the surprise that he had planned for Lindsay. When the door opened his was staring at Mrs. Augustine. She was a sprightly grandmother who treated him like one of his grandchildren.

"Donald!" she squealed as she gave him a hug. "Are you and that wonderful young woman of yours leaving for the day?"

"Yes, ma'am. Here is the key to the apartment. You'll set everything up for me, right?"

She clucked her tongue at him. "Of course, dear. This is so much like what my Harry did for me one year. That was the best Valentine's Day. You run along. Go catch the bad men, so I can sleep safely at night. I'll make sure everything is ready for when you get home."

Flack gave her a conspiratorial wink and a quick hug. "You're the best, Nana. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Pish-posh. You would do just fine, Donald. Now run along before she gets suspicious."

"Yes, ma'am.

Flack quickly made his way to the car, where Lindsay was waiting for him. The drove to work, with the normal fight over the radio station. He liked to listen to the morning shows, but she wanted music. She won today and they listened to the latest rock on the station.

When they got to work, they quickly kissed good-bye and went their separate ways.

Later that afternoon, Lindsay was watching Danny try to process the evidence from the rape case. She smiled when she saw how distracted he was. She was helping Stella on the robbery case and was just headed to DNA to get her results when she saw Flack, Danny and Hawkes laughing in the lab. Curious, she chose a route to the lab to see if she could hear what they were saying.

Unfortunately, she only caught the end of the conversation, with Hawkes saying that he was the one with the romantic streak. _Oh, Hawkes. If you only knew!_ She smiled as she continued to walk down the hall to DNA.

A couple of hours later, her shift was over and she decided to get ready. Flack had told her that she could dress up but to be comfortable for her surprise. She smiled when she was getting dressed. _I wonder if he'll like what Cory helped me pick out at Frederick's._

She put on her dress, a basic black dress that hugged her curves and put on the perfume that he liked so much. She slipped her feet into a comfortable pair of pumps, not knowing if they would be walking. Then she walked over to the mirror, putting the finishing touches on her make-up. She finished just as Stella walked in.

"Hey Stella. Do you have plans tonight?"

Stella grinned at her. "Nope. Just a date with Ben and Jerry. It's nice to be able to go home and relax."

Lindsay laughed. "I wish I knew what Don had planned. He's being very tight lipped about tonight. I just don't know if he can top the proposal on top of the Empire State Building."

Stella had a twinkle in her eye as she responded. "You don't give him enough credit. Trust me. Tonight will be memorable."

"Thanks, Stella. I'm going to go meet him now." Lindsay grabbed her coat and walked out of the locker room. She saw Flack waiting for her, dressed in a black morning suit with a dark purple shirt and a matching tie.

He greeted her with a small kiss and the led her out of the building. When they pulled up to their apartment building, Lindsay was confused. "Don? What are we doing home?"

Flack just grinned and helped her out of the car. He had called Mrs. Augustine when he was waiting on Lindsay to get dressed. He knew everything was set up for her. When he opened the door, he allowed Lindsay to walk in first.

Lindsay gasped as she gazed at the apartment. "How...When…What?"

Flack smiled. It was very rare to make Lindsay speechless and he enjoyed the feeling. "I think I'll take those in order. Mrs. Augustine. During our shift, today. Happy Valentine's Day."

Lindsay gazed around at the apartment. On every available surface, there were white candles. Soft music was coming out of the stereo and an enticing smell emanated from the kitchen. She looked at Flack and threw her arms around him. "This is perfect, Don. I love it!"

Flack's smile got even brighter. She leaned down and kissed her with a passion. "I thought that you would like it. I mentioned the idea to Mrs. Augustine and she went nuts for it. She offered to get everything ready for me. That's why I "forgot" my notebook this morning. I had to give her the key. Come on. I'm starving. Let's eat!"

Lindsay laughed. Typical Flack. Always hungry. She didn't mind though. She was starving. She had not had a chance to eat since breakfast. She walked into the kitchen and her jaw dropped again. The table was set with fine china and had a single red rose in a vase made from a wine bottle. "Wow. She thought of everything. Remind me to thank her in the morning!"

Flack went to the stove and got their food out. Mrs. Augustine had made spaghetti, Caesar salad and garlic bread. They took their time with dinner. Feeding each other bites of the pasta. Every time Lindsay took another bite, Flack had to shift in his chair. His desire was beginning to overwhelm him. "Linds?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you really hungry?"

Lindsay smiled a seductive smile. "Not for food."

Flack almost overturned the table, he got up so fast. He pulled Lindsay fast too him and kissed her with a passion.

She groaned as he changed the angle of the kiss, to bring her to greater heights of pleasure. Then she felt him unzipping her dress. She stepped back from him, letting it pool at her feet.

"God, Linds. What are you wearing?"

Lindsay smiled at his reaction. The bra and panty set was of sheer black material and so small it might as well been non-existent. "You like?"

His only response was to sweep her off her feet and head to the bedroom. He stopped in the threshold of the room and stared in amazement. Red and white candles burned romantically throughout the room and hundreds of rose petals were spread across the bed.

Lindsay looked in the room in amazement. "Wow. This is…I don't have words."

Flack looked down at her. "I didn't plan this part. Nana must have done it for me." He got a huge grin on his face. "Let's not disappoint her."

Lindsay murmured her agreement as his lips came crashing down on hers again.

(Danny and Cory)

When Danny walked into Cory's office, he felt like he had swallowed his tongue. He actually had to remind himself to breathe. _Oh…wow…Umm…_

Cory smiled knowingly, pleased with his reaction. Neither of them really paid attention when Hawkes and Lydia left.

Cory turned and pointed the bouquet of red roses sitting on her desk. "Thanks for the roses. They're beautiful."

Danny smiled and managed to kick start his brain again. "Not nearly as beautiful as you. You are stunning. I'm regretting the dinner reservations that I have. I just want to take you home."

Cory blushed a little. "There will be plenty of time for that." She turned and grabbed a velvet cloak that she had brought with her. She quickly put it and her gloves on. She grabbed her small purse and looked at Danny. "Ready to go?"

"Hell, yeah." He gave her a playful leer.

Cory rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant. Are you ready to go to dinner?"

Danny laughed. "Oh, that. Yeah, I'm more than ready."

She took his arm and they walked out of the building. She paused for a second when they got to her car. "Here are the keys. Please treat my baby with the respect that she deserves." She handed him the car keys and got in when he opened the door for her.

He adjusted the driver's seat then got in. "Are you sure you want me to drive?"

Cory rolled her eyes. "You seriously think that I'm going to drive in these heels? Give me a break. Plus, I know that you like to drive my car."

Danny grinned. He loved driving the sports car. "That I do. Thanks." He also knew how rare it was for her to let anyone else drive her new car. He maneuvered the car like a pro and soon they were at their destination.

Cory looked around in curiosity. "Where are we?"

Danny winked at her. "The best kept secret of New York. _Francesca's._ It's a small family owned Italian restaurant with the best food outside of Italy. It's owned by friends of my mom."

Danny led her into the small, intimate restaurant. An older Italian woman greeted them. "Daniel Messer! _Bambino. _It's been too long since you've been here!" She gave him a huge hug and kissed him on both cheeks. "It this the young lady that you've been talking so much about?"

"Yes, ma'am. Francesca, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Corrine. Cory, this is Francesca. She's like a second mother to me. Kept me on the straight and narrow, most of the time."

Cory looked at the woman, liking her immediately. "Please to meet you, ma'am."

Francesca gave her the same treatment she had given Danny. "Please, call me Frankie. Let me take your wrap." She quickly grabbed Danny's coat and Cory's cloak and gave them to the maitre-d, who hung them up. "Please follow me."

She led them to a small corner in the back, surrounded by plants. On the table there was a candle and a vase that had two roses in it. "I'll bring you both a glass of wine and may I suggest the Fettuccine Alfredo? It's excellent tonight."

Cory nodded as she sat down. "Wow. This place is amazing! It's so romantic."

Danny smiled. "Yeah. I love it here. Frankie is the one who taught me how to cook. It kept me out of trouble after the thing with Tanglewood. She gave me lessons in how to win a woman's heart while teaching me how to de-bone a chicken. The amazing thing is that everything stuck with me."

Danny reached across the table and took Cory's hand in his. "I have a present for you." He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a jewelry box.

"Danny? You didn't have to."

"Just open it, Cory."

"Okay. Okay." She extracted her hand from his and opened the box. Inside was a silver locket. She looked up at him with a question in her eyes.

"Open it."

She opened it and saw two pictures of them together. "Wow. I love it. Are you going to astound me anymore tonight?"

Danny shook his head. "Not in public."

Cory just laughed as Frankie brought them a couple of salads to start off with. They talked though the antipasto. Mostly about how she was adjusting to life in the Big Apple.

When it came time for the main course, both were feeling very mellow. They had taken Frankie's suggestion and had the fettuccine. Danny watched for her reaction to the first bite. She groaned slightly once she got a taste. "Oh my. This is the best Alfredo that I've had in…well, ever! I've so got to get this recipe. My Alfredo sauce never comes out this good!"

Danny smiled. "I have the recipe and would be more than willing to teach you how to cook it. Somehow, I don't think that Frankie would mind."

Frankie just happened to be walking by at that moment. "What would I not mind, young man?"

Danny grinned sheepishly. "If I give Cory your Alfredo recipe. I promise that she can't mess it up. You should taste her lasagna. It's just as good as yours is."

Frankie looked at her. "You don't look Italian."

Cory grinned. "No ma'am. I'm from Texas. I just love to cook and Italian is my specialty."

Frankie looked at her. "I'll have to taste your lasagna first, but if it's as good as Danny says, the recipe is yours."

"Thanks, Frankie."

"Are you guys ready for dessert?" Both nodded at that.

Frankie brought them out a slice of tiramisu each.

Cory smiled. It was her favorite dessert. When she tasted the first bite, she thought she had died and gone to heaven. "Oh…dear Lord this is amazing!"

Danny watched as a look of pure bliss passed over her face. It made him think of other things that caused her bliss and he quickly felt the need to get home quickly.

Cory saw the flash of heat that came into his eyes just as she finished dessert. "Danny?"

"Hmm?"

"How fast do you think we can make it back to my apartment?" She gave him a sultry look.

Danny quickly paid the bill and all but dragged her out to the car, where he pinned her against the door and kissed her deeply. He came back up for air and looked in her eyes. "I think I can break a few speed laws."

Cory laughed as she got into the car. _Good Lord. What's he going to do when he sees the tattoo?_

In record time they were back at Cory's apartment. Danny got impatient in the elevator and began to kiss her neck, right where her pulse was. He could feel her heart speed up and pound in rhythm to his. When the elevator doors opened, he waited rather impatiently for her to unlock her door.

Once inside, he began to discard her cloak and his jacket and tie.

Cory took a moment to catch her breath. "Danny? Follow me."

She led him to the bedroom, where she began to do a seductive strip-tease for him.

When Danny saw the dress drop from her body, he groaned at the sight of the corset. _I've died and gone to heaven. Help me, she wearing a garter!_

Cory turned slightly, so that her right hip was facing him. Danny noticed a spot of color on her hip that wasn't there they last time they had made love. "What's that?"

Cory smiled. "Why don't you come over and see?"

Intrigued and aroused Danny complied. He bent down to get a better look at the new tattoo. It was a heart with a gothic C and D intertwined in it. Around the heart were the words, Amor Vincit Omnia.

"Amor Vincit Omnia?" Danny looked up at her.

Cory smiled down to him. "It's Latin. Love conquers all. I thought it was appropriate. You helped me conquer my demons."

Danny felt a rush of love flow through his body. "When did you get this? I mean, I see you naked a lot."

Cory laughed. "You haven't in the last week?"

Danny gasped. "Were you lying about it being that time of the month?"

Cory shook her head. "Nope. It was just convenient. Now are you going to stare at that all night? Or are you going to make my wildest dreams come true?"

Danny smirked as he began to remove the corset from her body. "I'll do more than make your wildest dreams come true. I'll make your unknown dreams come true."

There was no more talking as he claimed her lips for himself and proceeded to do just that.

**AN:**

_So, how'd y'all like the fluff? This was a lot longer than I had expected. I guess with doing the focus on 4 different couples, my muse just kept giving me fluff to write! I did strive to keep this at a T rating, so use your imagination for Flack/Lindsay and Danny/Cory! See that little button below? It says submit a review! Please do! It makes my muse happy and she has been very cranky lately._

_To update y'all. I've started writing the sequel to "A Time to Heal". I'll start posting that after I get these one shots out of the way. I thought this was a great way to really introduce Lydia to everyone. I know that I had been lacking in the description area for her._

_Also, if you review….Tell me who you think is more romantic. Danny, Flack, Hawkes or Mac? Love y'all!_


	2. Happy Freakin' Birthday

**Disclaimer: **_Do I really need to do this? Fine. I am obviously not Jerry Bruckheimer or Anthony Zuiker…Do not own…Blah, Blah, Blah…And if you think that I'm getting paid for this, I can recommend a good psychiatric hospital if needed!_

**AN:** _This is the second in a series of one shots that take place between chapter 50 and 51 of my other story: A Time to Heal. This one is full of angst and will have a direct tie-in with the sequel: Déjà vu. Hope y'all like it! Oh...I don't own Tim O'Reilly, either...He belongs to the wonderful Screaming-Poetically! Thanks for such a great character!_

_Wow...The response to Valentine's Day was amazing! Y'all have made my muse very happy!_

_The Little Corinthian- I know. It was hard trying to choose who is more romantic. I think that Danny definately won this round, but all of the guys were great! I love Mrs. Augustine, too. She made make another appearance! I'm glad you like to revisit the universe...It's helping me get back into practice so I can write the sequel!_

_Rio Rahne- Yeah...I new reviewer! Unfortunately the happiness will be short lived for awhile. I have much more angst planned for her. Nana is great. I had to have Flack do something to top the proposal on top of the Empire State Building!_

_Danielle- Another new reviewer! I'm feeling so loved right now! Thank you and I'm glad you love the FM._

_brainDamage089- Thank you...Thank you very much! I have to admit, I'd love to have Danny do that to me, too! I tried to hard to keep this under an M rating. I had to force my muse to stop where I did. What did you think of the tattoo?_

_stargazr- Thanks! I was really going for the fluff with this one. My muse is somewhat back, unfortunately she tries to visit me when I'm in a 3 hour lecture class on art appreciation, so I have a couple of pages handwritten for the sequel. I hope she sticks around for a while...I have another story that I'm working on, but it has been put on the back burner!_

_csi-sam-sanders- Wow! Another new reviewer. My muse doesn't know what to do! Thank you so much! There are still (not including this one) at least 3 more one shots before I start updating with the sequel._

_Axellia- FF is just crazy! I'm glad everyone is happy that Cory's back. I found myself missing her, too! That was my favorite line, too. Very appropriate! ;) I must say that I thought Danny was most romantic with Hawkes follwing him! Everyone else loved Flack and Nana! Was this too long to wait for the next chapter?_

_chili-peppers- I'm glad I could give you some good fluff! I was squeeling as I wrote it. Flack was romantic, but Danny holds my heart, so I just loved him!_

_pnkrckprncss- I'm glad you liked it! It was some much needed fluff!_

_Another completely great shout out to my awesome beta- princessg! Lady...I don't know what I would do without you! (And I can't believe you actually managed to throw me a surprise b-day party! I'm just glad I have a year to plan yours!)_

**Happy Freakin' Birthday**

(Wednesday, March 28)

Cory was sitting at her desk when the call came. The one call that she knew could change her life.

"Reid?"

"_Agent Reid? It's Tim O'Reilly."_

Cory was surprised to hear from him. The last time she had talked to him was right after the closing arguments in the Ortiz case. "Hey, Tim. What's going on?"

Tim cleared his throat. _"I had an interesting call from Elizabeth Marquez."_

"What? Ortiz's attorney? What did she want? Another chance at an appeal?"

Tim managed a small laugh. _"Umm…No. Her client has requested a meeting with you. In person, on April first."_

Cory felt like someone had hit her in the head with a board. "What? No way. Why in the world would I want to meet with that piece of…"

Tim cut her off. _"She said that he had some information that you might like to hear. Something about his suppliers?"_

"You have gotta be freakin' kidding me. Why now? Why six months after the trial does he all the sudden want to talk to me? Is he trying to ruin my life? Damn it! I really need that information on his suppliers. I've been trying to track them down, but haven't had any luck."

"_I don't know. I'm just passing the message along. She wants to know by Friday if you are coming or not."_

Cory sighed. "Sorry, Tim. I didn't mean to take out my frustration on you. Let me think about it, okay?"

"_Sure. Just let me know. I'll talk to you later."_

Cory hung up the phone and immediately called Lydia into her office.

Lydia walked in with a look of concern on her face. "Cory? What's wrong?"

Cory looked at her. "Ortiz wants a meeting with me. Says that he wants to give up some info on his suppliers. And he wants to meet on my birthday."

Lydia looked at her. "Oh, wow. That's…I can't think of a word for it."

Cory smiled. "It's crap. That's what it is. He just wants to screw with my life again. But do you want to know the bad thing? I can't pass up the opportunity. I need that information so bad, that I am willing to go down there. Ahh!"

Lydia smiled and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know. And you're completely right. We've spent months trying to get more info on who was supplying the drugs and weapons and right now we are at a dead end. Whoever the supplier is, they're very smart."

Cory got a resigned look on her face. "I know. Danny's going to explode when he hears this. He's going to try to change my mind. Look. I need to go think. I'll have my cell with me if anything comes up, but I think I need to go riding to clear my head."

Lydia nodded. "No problem. If something comes up that I can't handle, I'll call you. When do you have to make a decision?"

"By Friday. The first is on Sunday." Cory stood up, grabbed her purse and walked out of the door.

Two hours later, after stopping to change her clothes, she was pulling up to the stable where Sampson and Delilah were boarded. She got out of her car and walked to the stable. She smiled when she saw the high school student who worked there after school. "Hey, Steve. What's going on?"

"Miss Cory! Not much. What are you doing here on a weekday?"

Cory laughed. "I needed to clear my head. Has Sampson been exercised today?"

"No, ma'am. I was just about to get him ready. Do you want company on your ride?"

Cory grinned. She knew that the kid had a crush on her. "No. I need some time to myself. I'll saddle him up myself."

Cory quickly saddled Sampson and then retrieved the coat she kept at the stable just for riding. She quickly mounted and headed out to a medium difficulty trail.

Once she was away from everyone, she began talking the problem out to herself. "Okay. Let's see. Ortiz is obsessed with me and ruining my life. This could just be a lot of smoke and mirrors to get me near him. On the other hand, he knows that if he doesn't give me any information, I'll never come near him again."

Cory thought about that for a little bit. "So, he's going to have to give me some kind of info. Will it be useful? What use would he get from getting me crap info? He wouldn't. He knows that I would never speak to him again, thus cutting off the one thing that he is obsessed with."

Cory was distracted out of her thoughts by her phone vibrating. "Hey, Danny. What's up?"

"_I just wanted to see what you're up to since you're not at work."_

"Sorry. I'm out riding. I needed to think about a case." Cory felt a little bad not telling Danny exactly what she was thinking about.

"_Oh. Do you want me to come over later?"_ He sounded a little hopeful.

Cory sighed. "I'm going to be working all night and I need to keep from distractions. Lord knows you are enough to distract a nun!"

Danny laughed at her sally, but agreed that they would meet up the next day.

After Cory got off the phone, she felt a little bad. "It's not like I'm lying to him. I just need some time to sort things out. Where was I? Oh, yeah. Ortiz not cutting contact with me to try to control me. Let's see. It's obvious that he wants me there on my birthday, I wonder if he would change the date? Probably not. He likes to control things."

Cory let out an exasperated breath. "Damn. I'm going to have to go down there. Bright side, I get to see Nicole and the kids. Now how do I break it to Danny?"

Cory thought about that the rest of her ride.

(The next day, Dinner with Danny)

When Cory got home the next day, she was exhausted. The first thing that she noticed when she walked in was the wonderful smell of garlic. "Danny?" She had given him a key the day after Valentine's Day.

Danny stuck his head out of the kitchen. "_Ciao, bella._ You sounded like you've had a couple of rough days, so I thought I'd cook you dinner."

Cory smiled. "_Mon coeur._ You are definitely too good for me. That sounds perfect. Thank you."

Danny came over to give her a kiss. "That's why I'm here for you. Do you want to talk about it?"

Cory grew somber. "After dinner. Okay?"

Danny knew something was going on. He hadn't see Cory so down since before Ortiz was arrested. "Sure. Whatever you want."

After dinner, Cory led Danny to the living room. "Umm. I don't know how to say this. It was so unexpected…"

Danny looked at her as she trailed off. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"

Cory lifted her head in shock. "What?"

"That's what you want to tell me. You're pregnant. Wow. I'm going to be a dad!"

Cory couldn't help herself. She started laughing. She saw the look on Danny's face. "Sorry! I don't mean to laugh. No, I'm not pregnant. The news is not nearly as good as that." She drew in a breath. "Ortiz wants me to meet with him. On Sunday."

Danny felt the glee leave his heart. "What? Of course you're not going." Cory didn't say anything. "Right?" His voice had a definite edge to it. "Oh my God. You're considering it. What the hell are you thinking? He's just trying to yank your chain and get you back under his control."

Cory put a calming hand on his arm. "Danny. Listen to me. He says he has information on his suppliers that he is willing to give up. You know that I've been having trouble trying to track them down. This is the break that I need. So yeah, I'm considering it."

Danny felt the anger rise up to overcome him. "How stupid are you! He's not going to give you any information."

Cory got a thunderous look on her face. "What?" Her voice was calm, deadly and void of all emotion.

Danny didn't heed the warning in her voice. "Come on, Cory. He just wants to control you. I'm not going to let you go."

Cory drew back from Danny, the rage evident in her face. "You're _not_ going to let me go? Who died and made you God? I make my own decisions. You have no control over what I can or can't do!" By this time she was yelling. "By God, I did not let Ortiz control me and I sure as hell am not going to let you try to control me. I am not a puppet or a dog. I don't obey commands very well! You got that!"

Danny felt his temper flare. "No. I'm your boyfriend. I will not let you do this."

Cory stood up and mentally counted to ten in her head. "You know what, Danny? I will not take that from you. Leave. I don't want to ever talk to you again!"

Danny seemed shocked. "What?"

Cory turned to face him and all he saw in her eyes was pure rage. "Get the hell out of my apartment. This relationship is over." She pointed to the door. Danny tried to protest a little more, but she just brushed him off and held the door open.

It took all of her control not to slam the door behind him. After she heard him walk away, she slumped to the floor in tears. "Dear God. What have I done?"

(The next day, FBI headquarter)

Cory walked into work with eyes puffy from crying most of the night. Lydia took one look at her, followed her into her office and closed the door. "What's wrong?"

Cory shook her head. "I've screwed up, Lydia. I told Danny about Ortiz's offer. And that I was going to go." As calmly as possible, she recounted the fight to Lydia.

"Oh, sweetie. I'm sure Danny will understand that you didn't mean it."

"You don't understand. I said some awful things to him! How can he ever forgive me?"

"Cory. He loves you. Once both of you calm down, he'll get it. In the meantime, I do have a message for you. Your plane ticket arrived. You leave tomorrow morning and fly back Sunday night on the red-eye."

"Thanks. I'll go pack tonight. Maybe by the time I get home on Monday, both Danny and I will have calmed down. Listen. I'm going to get organized and then leave a bit early.

(Crime lab)

Flack saw Danny as he walked in. He immediately decided to talk to him, since he looked like he wanted to kill someone. He followed him into the locker room. "Hey, Messer! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Screw you, Flack. I don't want to talk about it right now."

Flack looked at him. He decided not to let up. "What did you do to piss Cory off?"

Danny looked at Flack. "Man, I'm warning you. I do not want to have this conversation right now."

Flack just didn't want to back down. "What did you knock her up? Did she break up with you because of it? Or did you let your libido get the better of you? She catch you runnin' around on her or something?"

Danny's temper snapped and he threw a punch at Flack which caught him in the left eye. "Leave me the hell alone, Flack. I'm warnin' ya." Danny turned and stalked out of the locker room.

Flack looked bewildered. "What the hell just happened here? Damn he has a great right hook." Flack gingerly touched his eye and decided to see if Lindsay could pry some information out of him.

Flack walked out of the locker room, keeping an eye out for Danny. He did not want a repeat performance. As he rounded a corner, he saw Lindsay walking towards him. "Hey, Linds! Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"Danny is in some pissed off mood. Something to do with Cory. I tried to get the info out of him, but I got punched for my trouble. Can you see if you can find something out?"

Lindsay looked at him with concern in her eyes. "Sure. What the hell did you say to him?"

Flack had the grace to look sheepish. "You don't want to know. Let's just say that I opened my mouth and my brain disengaged."

Lindsay rolled her eyes and nodded. "Okay. You'd better go. If he's that pissed off at you then it would help if you weren't here." Lindsay shooed him away quickly. She walked around the lab and saw Danny in their office.

She walked in quietly and just sat down to work.

Danny looked up and saw her walk in. He groaned silently. _I really don't need the friggin' third degree from her right now!_ He was amazed when she remained silent and just went over some paperwork.

The silence dragged on and Danny's curiosity got the better of him. "Aren't ya gonna ask?"

Lindsay looked up. "Ask what?"

Danny just looked at her. This wasn't going as he expected. "Why I hit Flack?"

Lindsay looked at him. She took a breath and felt like she was reeling in a fish on a line. "Nope. I figure if you want to tell me then you will. If not…I don't want to get hit."

Danny sat back in shock. "Wow, Montana. I didn't expect that from you."

Lindsay smiled. "I'm just full of surprises. Look, Danny. I'm here if you need to talk. Or need a woman's perspective. I'm not going to push you."

Danny nodded. "Thanks." Just then his pager went off. "I gotta go. I have a case."

Lindsay watched him leave. As soon as she was sure he had left the building she went to find Hawkes.

She found him down in the morgue. "Hey Hawkes! I gotta question for you."

Hawkes looked at her. "Shoot."

"What the hell happened between Danny and Cory?"

Hawkes tried to look nonchalant. "What?"

"Come on! Spill! Danny punched Flack this morning."

Hawkes took a quick look around to make sure no one else was around. "Okay. This is confidential though. Ortiz wants to meet with Cory. On Sunday. Something about giving her some info on his suppliers. Cory agreed to go. She told Danny and he told her that he wouldn't let her go and she threw him out of her apartment. Told him she didn't ever want to speak with him again."

Lindsay drew in a breath. "Ouch. That explains a lot. So he thinks that the love of his life hates him. He hasn't calmed down enough to realize why she reacted that way! Didn't he learn the last time he made a comment like that? Stupid men!"

Hawkes nodded his head. "Yup. Listen. You didn't hear this from me. Lydia swore me to secrecy."

Lindsay laughed. "I just have my sources. I'll try to talk some sense into him when he decides to talk to me."

(Meanwhile, out in the field)

Danny was quiet during his time recovering evidence. He kept replaying the fight with Cory in his mind. _Damn it! I was just trying to protect her. Can't she see that? Was her independence worth breaking up? I just don't understand her._

Danny bent over when he saw a hair on the corner of a chair. He smiled and quickly bagged it. Soon his mind was occupied with work, the thoughts of the fight pushed back to his subconscious.

When he got back to the lab, he worked quickly to solve the case. It looked like the main help was going to come from the hair sample, so he sent that to DNA to see if they could get a profile.

With all of the evidence logged and processed, he walked to his office to do some paperwork. Lindsay was still sitting in there, finishing her paperwork. He sat down across from her and cleared his throat.

Lindsay looked up at Danny. "You alright?"

Danny just nodded. "Montana? You said that I could talk to you if I wanted. I think I'll take you up on that offer. Somehow I screwed up with Cory and I have no idea what I did wrong."

Lindsay looked at him, concern in her eyes. "Of course. What happened?"

Danny looked at her. "Ortiz wants to meet with her. On Sunday. Her birthday. I told her that I didn't want her to go."

_Huh. From what Hawkes told me, Danny did more than that. He flat out told her that she couldn't go. Time to call him on it._ Lindsay took a breath. "Did you say that you didn't want her to go or that she couldn't go?"

Danny looked at Lindsay in surprise. "What? What's the difference?"

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Danny? It's a huge difference. What did you say to her exactly?"

Danny thought back to the previous night. "Umm…I guess that I told her that I wouldn't let her go." All the sudden the light went on in his brain. "Shit. I am such a dumb SOB."

Lindsay laughed. "Nope. You're not dumb. If you were dumb, you wouldn't have figured out what you did wrong. Remember, Ortiz tried to control her for six years. She's not going to allow that again. If you had approached her differently then you wouldn't be so miserable right now."

Danny shook his head in the disgust that he felt towards himself. "How do I fix this?"

Lindsay thought for a moment. "I suggest that you give her some time. She needs to cool down as much as you needed to. Once she thinks it through, she'll know that you just care about her."

Danny nodded. "Thanks, Lindsay. Tell Flack that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have sucker punched him, but he did deserve it."

That piqued Lindsay's interest. "What exactly did he say? He wouldn't tell me."

_Payback is a bitch. _Danny grinned. "First he asked if I knocked her up. Then he asked if I was runnin' around on her."

"Why that insensitive arrogant…." Lindsay trailed off in her anger. "I hope he has a black eye!"

Danny just nodded and wisely kept his mouth shut.

(The next day, Saturday, Danny's POV)

When Danny got up the next day, he knew that he had to talk to Cory before she left. He called both her cell and her home phone, but no answer. He left a short message on her cell phone to have her call him, as soon as possible.

When he hadn't heard from her by noon, he started to get worried. He called Hawkes, to see if Lydia knew when he had left.

"_Hawkes."_

"Hey, Hawkes. It's Danny. Do you know when Cory was leaving for Texas?"

"_Yeah. She left at ten this morning. Why?"_

"I need to apologize to her. Thanks for giving Lindsay a head ups, by the way."

"_What are you talking about?"_

"Don't try to lie to me. I know Lydia told you what happened and you told Lindsay. I'm just trying to thank you."

"_Sure, man. Anytime. Listen, I've got to go. I have a scene to process."_

Danny hung up the phone and decided to text message Cory. He kept his message simple. _I'm sorry. Amor vincit omnia. Call me ASAP._

(Cory's POV)

Cory got off the plane and greeted Nicole. "Hey girl. Thanks for picking me up."

Nicole looked at her best friend. She knew something was wrong. "Not a problem. What's wrong?"

Cory smiled. "I never could hide anything from you. Danny and I had a huge fight. I told him that our relationship was over. Damn my temper."

Nicole hugged her. "Y'all will get through it. Once you calm down, just tell him that you didn't mean it. Are you sure you're up to going to see Ortiz?"

Cory walked beside Nicole, on the way to her car. "Yeah. He doesn't have any effect on me now. I just want to get the information and get back to New York. I really want to close this case forever."

Nicole nodded and moved the topic of the conversation to lighter subjects. When she pulled up in front of her house, she looked at Cory. "I feel I must warn you that the kids are really excited to see you. Expect to be watching movies with them tonight."

Cory turned to her. "Nic? Thanks. For everything. Especially for going with me tomorrow."

Anything else she had to say was going to have to wait since three children barreled out of the house screaming, "Aunt Cory! Aunt Cory!" Cory turned to the kids and was immediately being hugged by the kids.

She spent a couple of hours playing with them and then remembered that she had not turned her cell phone back on. When it came back on, she saw that she had four new messages. One of them was a text, the other three were voicemail.

Curious, she called her voicemail first. All three messages were from Danny. The last just said, "Please just call me. No matter what time."

She smiled as she hung up the phone and checked her text messages. She was floored when she read Danny's text message. She called him immediately.

"_Messer."_

"Danny, it's me. What's up?"

"_Cory? I thought you were ignoring me."_ The confusion was evident in his voice.

"Not intentionally. I forgot to turn my phone back on when I got off the plane. Listen. I wanted to tell you something."

"_Wait. Before you say anything. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to try to control your life. I'm just worried about how being there with Ortiz will affect you. I have terrible foot in mouth disease. Can you forgive me?"_

Cory smiled. "Only if you'll forgive me. I sprung the news on you and then let my temper get the better of me. I know that you were just trying to protect me, but…"

Danny cut her off. _"But I was an ass. I just approached you wrong. I still think that he is just trying to yank your chain, but it's your decision to make. I shouldn't have tried to interfere with your job."_

Cory felt tears come to her eyes. "Thanks. Don't worry about Ortiz. He is in my past. He has no control over me now. If he is just blowing smoke, I'll never see him again. I promise. _Je t'aime._"

"_Ti amo._ I really am sorry. I'll let you go back to visiting with Nicole."

They said good night and hung up the phone. Both went to sleep that night feeling relieved.

(Sunday, April 1st-Huntsville, Texas)

Cory and Nicole made the drive to Huntsville in three hours. Neither of them spoke a lot. Nicole was worried about the toll that seeing Ortiz would take on Cory. Cory was worried about what Ortiz had to tell her.

When they got to the prison, Nicole opted to stay in the car. Cory walked in and signed all the paperwork to visit Ortiz.

When she sat down in front of him, she reluctantly picked up the phone received to allow him to talk.

Ortiz looked at her. "You look good Cory. Been working out?"

Cory glared at him. "Screw you. What do you want?"

Ortiz didn't even flinch. "Happy birthday."

Cory grimaced. "Is that the only reason that I'm here instead of celebrating my birthday with the man I love?"

Ortiz felt the blow that she had just dealt him. "I love you, Cory. I'm going to wish you a happy birthday for as long as I'm alive."

"Look, Ortiz…"

"Carlos. Please call me Carlos."

Cory rolled her eyes. "Look, _Carlos._ If you don't have any info for me, I'm leaving and never coming back. What did you want to tell me about your suppliers? And why did you wait six months to tell me?"

Ortiz looked nervous. "I waited six months to try to extract all of the Suerte from the situation."

Cory looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Ortiz took a breath. "Look. Most of what I have are rumors. Our suppliers have cut off contact with the Suerte. They've found…other buyers for their merchandise. Buyers that are not nice people."

"Who are your suppliers?"

"I don't know. I only know the contact that we had. From a reliable source I've been told that the new buyers are possibly domestic terrorists. Some extremist group. But that's just a rumor."

"Why do you care who the buyers are?"

Ortiz gripped the phone tighter and looked down at the table in front of him. "I was in New York on 9/11. Suerte's lost family members in the attack. I may hate the government, but I do appreciate the freedoms that I have or had here. No one threatens my country."

Cory drew her eyebrows together. "Okay. So the buyers might be planning an attack."

Ortiz looked back up. "Not might. They are. I want you to stop them."

"Why me?"

"As much as I think you're misguided, I love you. You're a great agent. If anyone can stop them, you can."

Cory was speechless after that comment. It took her a moment to replay the conversation in her head. "You said you don't know who the supplier or the buyers are. You had a middle man. Who is it?"

Ortiz swallowed. "The Martinez brothers. They were our contact. That's all I know. I'll send word if I get any more info. It's too dangerous for the Suerte to try to contact you directly. I can be your liaison to them."

"Why are you doing this?"

Ortiz looked directly at her. "Like I said, nobody messes with my country. I don't regret any actions I took in getting here, but I am still an American at heart. Do you believe me?"

Cory bit her lip and nodded. "I'll be in touch. If this info pans out, you have my gratitude."

Cory put the phone down and got up to leave the room. Her heart was very heavy and she had a sense of foreboding about the coming months. _Shit. I hope I can trust this info. This could be very bad if he's telling the truth._

With heavy thoughts, she walked back out into the harsh Texas sun, its warmth not touching her.


	3. Riding Lessons

**Disclaimer:**_Do I really need to do this? Fine. I am obviously not Jerry Bruckheimer or Anthony Zuiker…Do not own…Blah, Blah, Blah…And if you think that I'm getting paid for this, I can recommend a good psychiatric hospital if needed!_

**AN:** _This is the third in a series of one shots that take place between chapter 50 and 51 of my other story: A Time to Heal. Hope y'all like it! Okay, guys. 9 reviews for chapter 1 but only 3 for chapter 2? Did I lose y'all somewhere? Let me know and if necessary, I'll rewrite it!_

_Rio Rahne- Thanks! Danny has a habit of sticking his foot in his mouth when he's trying to protect Cory!_

_chili-peppers- No. The fates are somewhat against her! I'll still give her some good fluff, though! I love the friendship that Danny and Lindsay have built up on the show (last episode notwithstanding). Flack was just trying to joke around with Danny but failed to recognize the fact that Danny was really in the mood for anything! Thanks!_

_brainDamage089- Thank you! I so didn't even think about having him mutter in Italian when he walked in. I may have to change that and repost the chapter! I agree...he is definately sexy when speaking Italian. Now if they would only do that on the show! I would never recover. (lol). There is a little bit of Italian and French in this one._

_Many thanks again to princessg for being my beta! Don't know what I'd do without you girl!_

**Riding Lessons**

Danny was silent as he rode with Cory. He felt a little uncomfortable dressed in jeans and boots. To cap it all off, he had a Stetson resting on his knee.

Cory glanced at him, seeing how uncomfortable he looked. "Did I tell you how hot you look dressed like that?"

Danny looked at her. "Really?"

Cory smiled. "Umm. Good enough to eat. But then again, I have a thing for men in boots and tight jeans."

Danny laughed. He tried to do a Southern accent and said, "Happy to oblige, ma'am."

Cory could help but laugh. "God, that was an awful Texas accent. But I do appreciate the effort!"

Danny laughed, too. "Just trying to break the tension."

Cory rolled her eyes. "Danny. You'll do fine. You've ridden Delilah before, you at least know what to expect. It's not like I'm going to have you riding like a jockey today. Trust me, we'll take it slow." Cory thought for a moment. "Thank you for doing this. It means a lot to me."

Danny looked at the happiness on Cory's face. "Just to see that look on your face, it thanks enough."

Cory smiled as she pulled into the stables. She turned to look at Danny. "Are you ready for this?"

He nodded his head and followed her out of the car and into the stable. He noticed a teenager looking at Cory in lust.

"Hey, Miss Cory!"

Danny looked at Cory in speculation. _Miss Cory?_

Cory turned and smiled at the kid. "Hey, Steve! How was school this week?"

Steve blushed. "It was awright. Thanks for your help with my math. I got an A on the last test!"

Cory laughed. "See. I told you math wasn't hard."

Steve's blush grew even brighter and he decided to change the topic. "So I got both Sampson and Delilah ready for you. Are you sure you don't want me to with you?"

Cory smiled. "That's okay, Steve. My boyfriend here is going to go with me. I should have introduced you. Steve, this is Detective Danny Messer, NYPD. Danny this is Steve Patterson. He's a stable hand here, when he's not in school."

Danny felt bad for him. He saw how much his expression dropped when Cory mentioned the word boyfriend. Danny nodded to him. "Nice to meet you."

"Same here. I'll let you guys get ready." Steve turned and walked into the tack room.

Cory sighed and turned to Danny. "Let me reintroduce you to Delilah." She grabbed Danny's hand and pulled him to a stall. As Steve had promised, Delilah was ready; she just had to tighten the cinch on the saddle so that Danny wouldn't fall off.

"Danny, this is Delilah. She's a sweetheart. Let me show you how to tighten the cinch, so that the saddle doesn't fall off. Soon, I'll teach you how to put her tack on, but I figured I'd give you a break today."

Danny watched Cory was she drew the cinch tight, showing how Delilah would hold her breath so that it would be loose. "Why does she do that?"

Cory looked up at him. "Hold her breath? Think about it. Wouldn't you?"

Danny thought and agreed. _It makes sense. But of course, I will never wear a saddle! Unless Cory has some unknown fetish. I so hope she doesn't!_

Cory looked at Danny's face. From his look his direction of thoughts had just taken a turn to the weird. She almost laughed but then decided to have a little fun with him. "Danny?" She walked over to him, with a look of lust in her eyes.

He turned to her. "What?" His mind was still racing thinking about a case he had worked on a few years back with the woman who liked to treat her husband like a horse. The couples play had gotten out of hand and the man had accidentally died.

Cory had reached him by this time. She had grabbed a riding crop on her way over to him. She leaned in close to him and whispered in his ear. "There's something sexy about a guy who likes to be tied up. In leather. Have you been a bad boy?" She rubbed the crop up and down his leg, before lightly bouncing it off of his butt.

Danny stood there in shock. "I…umm…What?" He couldn't decide whether to be freaked out or turned on.

Cory looked at the war going on in his brain and couldn't hold off laughing any longer. She started laughing so hard that she was bent over, clutching her sides. "Oh, God. The look on your face is priceless!"

Danny looked at her as the realization that she had just played him popped into his head. "What? That was a joke! That's just wrong!"

Cory laughed some more and then managed to bring herself back under control. "I'm sorry. I could tell what you were thinking when I asked if you would like a tight cinch around your waist. I just had to tease you. I promise you. I have never done anything like that to anyone!"

Danny began to laugh. He didn't want to admit that the idea as intriguing to him.

Cory turned and grabbed Delilah's reins. She handed them to Danny and he followed her out of the stall. "I need to get Sampson ready. Just walk out into the corral and I'll be right there. You can get on Delilah, if you want."

Danny nodded. He carefully led the horse into the corral and decided to try to mount her. He remembered what Pete had taught him while he was in Texas. He carefully put his left foot in the stirrup and lifted himself onto Delilah. He had just gotten settled when Cory walked out, leading Sampson.

"Howdy, Cowboy. You ready for a ride?" Cory winked at him.

Danny groaned. "In more ways then one, sweetheart."

Cory just laughed and mounted Sampson. She led them to a gate and she opened it. Once through, she closed the gate and turned towards Danny. "I thought we would try a more difficult trail today than what you rode in Texas. You have the basics. You just need practice."

Danny nodded and he let Delilah follow them.

Thirty minutes later, Danny was ready for a break. He was shifting in the saddle uncomfortably. _Damn. Why did she have to wear jeans that tight? I just get to stare at her ass and wow…it's nice!_

Danny was trying to keep his thoughts off of how aroused he was, but Cory was not helping the matters any bit. Finally they came to a secluded stream and Cory dismounted.

She looked at Danny and smiled. "I thought we could have lunch here." She unfastened the saddlebags that she had brought and withdrew some food and a blanket. She spread the blanket on the ground and unpacked the sandwiches and chips.

Danny walked, a little stiff legged, over to the blanket and sat down with a sigh. "Do your legs ever get used to riding?"

Cory giggled. "Of course. It just takes a lot of practice!" She winked at him.

Danny groaned again and this time pulled her to him. He captured her lips in a passionate kiss and trailed his hands down her body. He eased both of their bodies into a reclining position.

Cory groaned at the feelings he was creating. "Danny?"

Danny bent down and nibbled on her neck. "I'm up for _riding_ practice."

Cory groaned anew when he pulled her on top of him. "I can see that. What if someone comes by?"

Danny moved his hips a little. "I'm willing to take that risk. Are you?"

Cory bent her head down to suckle at the spot on his neck where his pulse pounded. She moved her arm and retrieved something out of her pocket. With him a little distracted, she sat up and straddled him. "Good thing that I was a Girl Scout. We're always prepared."

Danny chuckled as she held up the condom and then pulled her down to kiss her some more.

(An hour later)

Cory looked at Danny. _Damn. He is just so sexy in those jeans! _She smiled. He was almost asleep. She leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Danny?"

Danny shifted, loving the feel of her breath against his ear. "Hmm?"

"When is your lease up?"

Danny opened his eyes. "What?"

"The least on your apartment. When is it up?"

"You asking me to move in with you?"

Cory blushed. "We've talked about it. But you seemed to drop the subject after our fight over Ortiz."

Danny looked down. "I didn't think that you were ready. I mean that was a huge fight."

Cory rolled her eye. "Yeah it was. But couples fight. It's not all sunshine and roses. Relationships take work."

Danny smiled. "I know. It's up at the end of the month. Are you sure this is what you want?"

Cory nodded. "I'm very sure. I love you. That's all that matters. _Je t'aime, mon amour. Tu est mon coeur. Tu est mon vie."_

Danny smiled. "_Ti amo, mi amore._ Okay. I'd love to live with you. I'll just let my landlord know."

Cory smiled and bent down to kiss him again. _Things are going so good. I'm glad that neither of us is on call today._

After kissing him, she began to gather up their picnic and they began the ride back to the stables and toward the rest of their lives.


	4. The Bachelor Party

**Disclaimer: **_Do I really need to do this??? Fine. I am obviously not Jerry Bruckheimer or Anthony Zuiker…Do not own…Blah, Blah, Blah…And if you think that I'm getting paid for this, I can recommend a good psychiatric hospital if needed!!_

**AN:** _I'm BACK!!! Sorry about the long wait, but I was battling that insidious disease known as writer's block! My muse is back and hopefully will have the next part up within a week! This is the fourth in a series of one shots that take place between chapter 50 and 51 of my other story: A Time to Heal. Hope y'all like it! I know that I have gone in chronological order up until now, but I have a feeling that I might have to change the rating for the Bachelorette party to M due to adult content, so I wanted to warn y'all about that!_

_Rio Rahne- Yup. I love the visual of Danny dressed as a cowboy. Hey, I'm a Texan...We have a lot of cute cowboys down here!! I'm sorry this took so long to get done!!!_

_kasmith101- You knew that it had to happen! I'm glad that you're happy about that!_

_chili-peppers- You're not going to throw anything at me for making you wait, are you??? I'm glad you liked the chappie. It was nice to write some fluff. :D_

_brainDamage089- Are you better now??? The drooling is necessary when Danny is speaking Italian! Yum!! I'm glad that you liked it!_

_Aphina- So glad to see you back!!! I'm glad you liked the layout of Valentine's Day. As you can see, there will be plenty of angst with with the new story (which I am trying to work on in my spare time). They are dirty, but in a good way!!!_

_Screaming-Poetically- I'm glad you found the story!! I just love Nana as a character and I will definitely have to write her into the sequel. She was just...great! I'm glad I was able to write Tim into the story, he's just a great character!! Yup, terrorist will definitely be the focus of the sequel...I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with it yet, but it will work itself out. Kiss, Kiss right back at ya and I love your stories, too!!!_

**The Bachelor Party**

Cory watched as Danny got ready for the bachelor party. He was dressed in blue jeans and a tight green shirt. _He looks good enough to eat!_ She smiled at her thought, remembering when Danny told her the plans for the bachelor party. She got up off the bed when he was done getting ready and embraced him for a passionate kiss. She only broke contact when they both needed air.

Danny looked puzzled. "Not that I mind, but what was that for?"

Cory chuckled. "Just remember who you're coming home to. No sex with strippers for you!"

Danny got a twinkle in his eye and play pouted. "But, Mom…" he whined.

"No buts, young man. Just do as you're told and maybe you'll get a treat when you get home!"

Danny just started laughing. "Yes, ma'am. Don't wait up for me. We'll be out late."

Cory nodded. "I know. Just remember that I have to get up at nine. If either you or Don wake me up when you get in, I'll blast country music until you beg for mercy. Just make sure Don is at the church by five tomorrow afternoon. Have fun." She gave him another quick kiss.

Danny groaned when she let him go. _Damn. She makes me want to stay here!_ He winked at her when she walked out the door.

Danny got into his SUV and drove to pick up some of the guys for the party. He was responsible for picking up Mac, Flack and Hawkes. Sid and Adam were going to met them at the club.

When Flack got into the car, he looked at Danny. "So?"

Danny looked at him. "So what?"

"Where are we going?"

Danny smirked. "Not gonna tell you. I have to pick up the other's first."

Flack spent the entire ride trying to get Danny, then Mac, then Hawkes to tell him where they were going.

Finally, they pulled up outside of a club. Flack saw Sid and Adam waiting for them. Carrying grocery bags.

"Why are..." Flack trailed off when he saw the name of the club. "The Clubhouse? Lindsay's okay with this? Never mind Lindsay. Cory's okay with this?"

Danny grinned, remembering Cory's reaction when he told her they were taking Flack to an all nude club. She had read him the riot act about what would happen to him if he even laid one hand on a dancer. Then she kissed him and told him to have fun. He shook his head at the memory. He looked at Flack. "She gave her blessing with the threat that if any of us strayed, her, Stella and Lindsay would hide the bodies. Then she told me what she would personally do to me before death. Let's just say, I like my crown jewels intact."

All three of the other men winced at Danny's words. Mac nodded. "Yeah, I kinda figure that the girls would do a great job of leaving no evidence."

The four men got out of the car and walked up to Adam and Sid. Hawkes took a peek into the bags. "Did you guys buy out the liquor store?"

Both men shook their heads no. Sid was the one who spoke up. "No. We just decided that on such an auspicious occasion, we need a lot of alcohol."

The six men laughed and headed inside the club.

Danny paid the cashier and the guys headed to a table right by the stage. There was a blonde girl on the stage only wearing a G-string. Flack groaned at the sight. "Man, she is hot!"

The guys nodded. Danny grinned and signaled the waitress for some glasses.

Danny poured them all shots of tequila. "Flack, man. I never thought I'd see the day when you tied the knot. Here's to your last night of freedom!"

Flack grimaced as the alcohol ran down his throat. He put the glass down with a click and then drank the second shot that Danny poured him.

All the men watched in awe as the stripper removed her remaining clothes. Adam almost swallowed his tongue as she turned to him and winked. "Did she just wink at me?" He looked like he was in shock.

Hawkes turned to Adam. "Do you think you have a chance with her? If so, go for it!"

Adam made a noncommittal grunt and just took another drink of his beer.

They had been drinking for about an hour when a stripper in nurses' uniform walked up to them. "Which one of you is Don?"

All the guys got a smile on their face and pointed to Flack. "He is. This is his last day as a free man," Mac said with a smile.

The stripper began to give Flack a lap dance. Flack sat their in awe as the woman danced in front of him. He licked his lips lightly as she continued to dance. As she finished her dance, she leaned over and whispered in his ear, "This dance is from Lindsay."

Flack's eyes got wide as she walked away. "Um…yeah. Ok."

Danny looked at Flack, as he looked like he had just gotten hit upside the head. "What's wrong, man?"

Flack shook his head. "Um…She said that the dance was from Lindsay."

At Flack's comment, eyes widened around the table. Danny smirked. Adam looked like he was in shock. "You mean to tell me that Lindsay bought you a dance with a stripper at an all nude dance club. Dude. Does she have a sister?"

Flack laughed. "She does but she's already married. Sorry, buddy."

The rest of the guys laughed. Mac looked at Danny, seeing his smirk. "Did you know about this Danny?"

Danny cocked his head. "I had an idea after I told Cory where we were going. She had some comments. Flack, man. I hope you realize what a great woman Lindsay is, to do this for you!"

Sid nodded. "You're correct. I dated a former stripper once. She did something similar for me once. The stripper that she picked was a gorgeous specimen of womanhood. She had…"

Hawkes held up a hand to him. "Sid, I really don't want to hear the details." Flack and Danny nodded their heads in earnest at Hawkes' statement. Hawkes picked up a bottle of tequila and poured everyone but Mac a shot. "Guys. Here's a toast to the women in our lives. May they have all the patience in the world to put up with us!"

The guys all grinned and drank their shot.

A few hours later, both Flack and Danny were very drunk. Danny was watching the stage when he did a double take. "Shit! Is that Cory?" He blinked his eyes and tried to focus on the girl who just walked on stage.

The rest of the men at the table turned in surprise. Then Mac chuckled. "Danny? I think it's time you stopped drinking."

Danny looked at him in confusion. "What?"

Mac rolled his eyes. "The woman on stage is not Cory. Look again. First of all, she's blonde. Second, her hair is a lot shorter than Cory's. So I stand by my statement. It's time you stopped drinking."

Danny looked at him. "Oh. Maybe I'll skip the next round." Danny turned his attention back to the dancer. She was very attractive, with a nicely proportioned body. Danny studied her. Then he saw the tattoo of the fairy on her chest. It was a little larger than Cory's tattoo, but that was what had reminded him of her.

Danny smiled and decided to drink with the next round.

Finally, three a.m. rolled around. Hawkes, Mac, Danny and Flack were the only ones left. Sid and Adam had left around two a.m., after Adam had gotten the blonde stripper's number. Mac was the only one that was still sober. Hawkes was a little drunk, but had wisely stopped drinking when Sid and Adam left. Danny and Flack had just poured their last shot.

Mac stood up wearily. "Come on, guys. Let's get you home. Hawkes, I'll drop you off first. Then I'll take Tweedle Drunk and Tweedle Drunker here home."

Hawkes helped Mac get them to the car. On the drive to Hawkes' apartment, Danny and Flack were giggling in the back seat non-stop. Hawkes and Mac looked at them, unsure of why they were laughing.

Mac raised an eyebrow. "Something I should know?"

Flack giggled and tried to calm himself down. "No. Not at all. Nothing's going on here."

Mac just shook his head as he pulled up to Hawkes' apartment. "Here you go."

Hawkes smiled as he got out of the SUV. "Good luck with those two."

Mac smirked. "Thanks." He turned to the guys in the back seat as he pulled out into traffic. "You guys better calm down or Cory might throw you out in the street for waking her up!"

Danny nodded. "Naw. She just said that she would blast country music until we begged for mercy. I believe there was mention of Billy Ray Cyrus."

Flack snorted and began to sing _Achey Breaky Heart_.

Mac grimaced. "Flack, please stop. If you don't I'll have to kill you." Mac was grateful when there was silence from the back seat. When they got to Danny and Cory's apartment, Mac turned off the SUV and turned back to the guys. They looked like they were half asleep.

"Rise and shine, guys. You're home!"

Danny and Flack groggily made their way up the stairs. They were fairly quiet as they walked into the apartment. Danny showed Flack to the guest bedroom, where he quickly passed out on the bed.

Danny slipped off his shoes and stripped out of his clothes. He carefully got into bed with Cory and pulled her into his arms. He smiled in satisfaction and quickly passed out.


	5. The Bachelorette Party

**Disclaimer:**_Do I really need to do this??? Fine. I am obviously not Jerry Bruckheimer or Anthony Zuiker…Do not own…Blah, Blah, Blah…And if you think that I'm getting paid for this, I can recommend a good psychiatric hospital if needed!!_

**AN:** _This is the fifth and FINAL fic in a series of one shots that take place between chapter 50 and 51 of my other story: A Time to Heal. Hope y'all like it! Okay. I am so sorry that this took so long to complete. I was just blocked with it! I'm glad that it's finally done and I hope to have the first chapter of the actual sequel up within the next week. I just need to find the time to type it up (I wrote it during my 3 hour lecture class on Art Appreciation). Thanks to everyone who reviewed on this one and I'll respond to all the review I get on this chapter to everyone privately!! Also, this one is not beta'd so all the mistakes are mine. If you find anything major, just tell me in a review and I'll fix it!_

_Screaming-Poetically-Yup. That's basically where the sequel is going. What can I say. I just really love writing Ortiz. He is such an arrogant SOB, but he's fun to write. So is Tim. I love Tim. I just don't know what I would do without Tim!!! Kiss, Kiss to you, too! I love the idea of very cool Mac at a stripclub. It's just so...illogical. Yeah. Lindsay is so much cooler than me. I totally don't think that I would have done that for my man. Tweedle Drunk and Tweedle Drunker was my fav line from that chapter! Sorry I made you wait so long for the update. Real Life is a bitch._

_Rio Rahne-I love Adam. I'm just not so sure how to write him yet. In case you didn't know, the wedding is chapter 51 of _A Time to Heal_. My muse was not cooperating, so now that I have a week off from work, I'm making her really work at the writing thing! Thanks so much for your review!_

_The Little Corinthian-Yeah, Sid is great. I just love him as a character. He's so much fun since I can pretty much have him say anything and he'll still be in character!! I don't have to really worry about going non-cannon with him!!_

_Chili-Peppers-How do you say forgive me in Welsh??? I am so sorry that it's been almost 2 months since an update, but real life intruded and my muse decided to leave me. sniff She's back now, but to quote Desi Arnez "She's got some splaining" to do._

_mj0621-I don't think that you lost your alert, but I know that ff has been acting up lately. So I don't know if you'll get an alert on this one, either. I haven't gotten any alerts since Christmas Day. I'm glad you like this fic. I've had fun writing it. It's been a good way to get back into my characters!_

_Soccor-Bitch-Whoo-hoo! A new reviewer!!! New reviewers always rock. Y'all tend to inspire me to write more!!! But, anyway. Thanks for reviewing and I'm glad that you like the story!!_

**The Bachelorette Party**

Cory had not told Lindsay what she was doing for her bachelorette party. She wanted to surprise her. As she had told Nicole, she was having an adult toy party. She had arranged for Nicole to fly up. Stella, Maka, Lydia and Lindsay's sister Julie were all going to be there. In total, Cory had invited fifteen people to the party. It was being held on May 5 since Cory wanted plenty of time for the products to come in.

On the Friday before the party, Cory and Lydia decided to go shopping for the food and drinks.

"Cory? How many people are coming tomorrow?" Lydia asked.

Cory pursed her lips. "Hmm. Seven. You, me, Nicole, Lindsay, Julie, Kylie and Stella."

"What are you going to make for snacks?"

"Luckily, Nicole is coming over tonight. She's going to help me cook up some dips and make some party trays. I'll have one for meat, cheese, vegetables and fruits." Cory looked thoughtful. "That reminds me. I need to get some more wine glasses. Do you have any suggestions for anything that I'm forgetting?"

Lydia thought for a moment. "Not really. Have you told Lindsay what we're doing?"

Cory smiled. "Nope. I want it to be a complete surprise. I've had so much fun planning this."

Lydia looked at her. "But don't you and Danny have sex?"

Cory got a gleam in her eyes. "Hell, yeah! But toys can make it interesting. You know, spice it up a bit. Plus, this particular dealer has books, movies, lotions, lingerie and costumes." She shrugged her shoulders. "What can I say? I'm adventurous. Plus, Danny kinda likes being surprised."

Lydia raised her eyebrows. "Really? Do I want to know?"

Cory just laughed. "I'll spare you the details. So have you and Sheldon done the deed yet?"

Lydia shook her head. "No. We want to wait for right time. We've had some amazing make out sessions, though. He is such a great kisser."

Cory raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

Lydia blushed. "Um. Yeah." She stammered out her answer as her cheeks turned red in embarrassment. "So. Toy party. That's going to be interesting. What kind of drinks are you having again?"

Cory laughed as Lydia babbled in her embarrassment. "It's okay, Lydia. I really don't want details! I was going to get some wine, plus I have enough to make any mixed drinks that people will want. I just need to get some mixers."

Lydia seemed relieved at the change in conversation. "What kind of mixers?"

"You know. The usual. Orange juice, pineapple juice, soda's. That's the next stop in the store."

Laughing, the women made their way to the drink section of the store to buy mixers. An hour later they carried all the groceries up to Cory's apartment. They had just put the cold food up with the buzzer rang.

Cory walked to the panel and pressed the button. "Yes?"

"_Chica! It's me. Let me in. I'm cold out here."_

"Not a prob, Nic," Cory said as buzzed Nicole in. She unlocked the door so Nicole could walk in.

As the door opened, Cory called out, "Friend or Foe?"

Nicole laughed. "It depends. What do you want me to be today?"

Cory smiled as Lydia laughed. 'Definitely friend. I need all the help I can get!"

Nicole almost snorted. "Honey. The kind of help you need, I'm not qualified to give!"

"Hey! I resemble that! How are you doing?"

Nicole grinned. "I'm good. The kids miss you. How are things going with you and Danny?"

"They're good. We've had a couple of rough patches. Most of them had to do with Ortiz, but we're working things out." Cory turned as Lydia walked into the room. "Nic, I'd like you to met Lydia Sanchez. Lydia, this is my best friend, Nicole Henry."

The two women nodded to each other as they said hello.

"So, Cor. What are we making tonight?" Nicole asked.

"Well. I need some help making some dips and then putting together some party trays. You want to stay and help, Lydia?"

Lydia smiled. "Sure."

Cory smiled. "Good. You can make the salsa. I'll start on the trays and Nic? You can make the cream sauce for the fruit."

Several hours and a couple of glasses of wine later, all three women were giggling on the couch. "Oh my god, Nicole!" Lydia snorted. "You mean that you had to explain to your husband what a vibrator was?"

Nicole nodded. "Yeah. He knew in theory, but he had never seen one. The funniest thing was that after he found it, he asked me why I kept it!"

Cory was laughing uncontrollably at this point. "What did you tell him, again?"

Nicole tried to draw a full breath. "I simply told him it was for the times when he was at work. I totally left it at that. I mean, come on. I really did not want to go into that discussion with _my husband!!!_"

The girls laughed a little longer, and then Cory looked at the clock. "Oh, my. It's one o'clock. Lydia, you are way to drunk to make your way home. Why don't you sleep on the couch, since Nic has my spare bed? I'll get you up early enough tomorrow that you can go home and change."

Lydia knew that she was to drunk to walk. "Okay. No arguments here. I can just fall asleep where I am and I'll be happy."

Cory smiled and went to go get an extra pillow and blanket. Once she was assured that both women were almost asleep that she made her way to bed.

(The next day, 5 O'clock)

Cory and Nicole puttered around her apartment the next day, putting the final touches on the decorations. Just as they were done, the buzzer rang.

Cory walked over to it. "Yes?"

"It's Stella, Kylie and Lydia!"

"Come on up!"

Cory smiled. "Welcome! Can I fix y'all a drink while we are waiting?"

They nodded yes and Cory made her way to the bar. Twenty minutes later, Cory heard her buzzer. "Yes?"

"It's Julie and Lindsay! Can we come up?"

"Heck, yeah. It's about time y'all go here!"

Cory motioned for silence as they waited for the women to arrive. When they did, the entire group of women yelled "Surprise!" Lindsay looked a little stunned and turned to Cory in her confusion. "What's going on?"

Cory smiled. "Well, you mentioned how you really did not want to go to a strip club for your bachelorette party, so I made other arrangements."

"Huh?"

"We are going to have a party. An adult toy party! This way you can get some things that might, uh, enliven the honeymoon." Cory grinned mischievously as Lindsay caught her meaning and turned bright red.

"Oh, my. I think I would have been less embarrassed with a stripper."

"You know you love me. Come on. Sit down and I'll get you a drink."

As soon as Lindsay was seated, with drink in hand, Cory introduced Alice, the saleswoman.

"Hi. I'm Alice. So to start off, how many people have ever been to a toy party?" Only Nicole and Cory raised their hands. "So. I have a lot of toy party 'virgins' here today! Excellent. How many people here have ever owned a vibrator?"

Sheepishly all the women looked around. Every single person in the room raised their hand. "Well, that's good to know. I can guarantee you that we have something for everyone in our product line. We not only sell vibrators, but we also sell massage oils, stimulating lotions, clothing and lingerie. Now since Cory is hosting the party, normally she would get all of the discounts for the dollar amount that everyone purchases. However, she has graciously decided to give that discount to Lindsay. So ladies, the more you buy, the less it will cost our bride to be!"

Lindsay looked at Cory. Cory just shrugged her shoulders and smirked.

Alice continued. "First of all, as an icebreaker, I'd like everyone to try a product. It's called _Cleopatra's Secret._ It's a clitoral stimulate cream which comes in five different flavors. Choose the flavor that your man likes the most and he will never complain about going down on you again! I have a sample of the mint flavor. I personally think that it packs an extra punch, but that's just my opinion." Alice carefully passed around plastic sticks with the green lotion on it and motioned for the woman to go apply it.

When all the women were done, the ones that had gone in first were decidedly becoming a little flushed. "Wow," Lindsay said. "This is…wow."

Alice winked at her. "Trust me; your man will love it. The first product line I'd like to go over with you is the books and DVD's. We have a fine selection of Tantric Sex books and DVDs. For those who are a little more adventurous, we also have guides to a number of fetishes."

Julie looked a little confused at that. "What kind of fetishes?"

Alice looked at her. "Oh, you know. Spanking, bondage. That sort of thing. These are guides on how to do it properly, so not to injure your partner."

"Oh. Okay."

Alice continued to go through a list of products for the book section, noticing that several women were taking notes.

When she got to the end of the section, Cory stood up. "Before we continue, would anyone like a drink?"

All the women nodded and Cory refreshed their drinks while everyone grabbed some food. While Cory was making the drinks, Lindsay walked up to her. "So fetish guides. You seemed to be taking a lot of notes during that section."

Cory grinned. "Let's just say, I've had some experience in that and leave it at that."

Lindsay opened her eyes wide. "You and Danny! Oh. My. God. That was so not an image I wanted."

"No. Not Danny. James. Let's just say he liked to be dominated and I'm not going to explain any further. You looked kind of interested in the Tantric section."

Lindsay flushed. "Yeah. Well. It just seemed interesting. You know. The sex between Don and me is always good, but we've lost the spontaneity that we used to have. It's gotten routine."

Stella overheard that part of the conversation. "Honey. That happens to all of us! It like six months into a relationship, guys just don't want to try anymore. Why is that?"

Cory nodded. "I don't know either. That's why I keep trying to liven things up. Keep them on their toes. I can't wait until she goes over the lingerie and costumes. I need some new ones."

Lindsay just nodded. She never knew that Cory was so adventurous and uninhibited. _I hope some of that rubs off on me. She seems like her sex life is never boring!_

As everyone sat down with their drinks, Alice began going over the costumes and lingerie. "Okay, ladies! How many of you have every role-played with their man?" All six women raised their hands. "Oh good. Then this section will appeal to everyone. We have a fine selection of lingerie and costumes. The lingerie is pretty standard. Just like you would find at a store like _Frederick's of Hollywood._ But the costumes can be pretty out of this world. We have everything from the naughty nurse to sexy aliens."

While Alice was going over the costumes, Lindsay thought back to some fantasies that Don had shared with her. She got a smirk on her face as she found the perfect costume to create one of the fantasies with. _Oh, this will be to perfect. I wonder if I can wait to use it until the honeymoon. That will just knock him back on his heels!_

Lindsay was brought back to reality by the change in topics.

"Okay, ladies. Now for the main event. Vibrators. We have several different types and styles, depending on your personal preference. One that I would like to point out is a kit in which you can make an exact replica of your man. I know that since the majority of you have partners which work crazy hours, this is a perfect opportunity to have your man with you even when he is not."

Stella was especially interested in that product and made some notes on her pad. Cory was another person making notes.

Finally, thirty minutes later, Alice's presentation was over. "Cory? Do you have a place set up for me to take orders?"

Cory smiled. "Of course. In my bedroom is a table and chairs set up for you."

Alice nodded. "Thanks. Ladies, when you are ready, I'm ready to take your orders."

The women nodded their agreement while Cory refreshed their drinks. It took almost an hour, but finally all the women were done purchasing and Alice had packed up to leave. "You will have your merchandise in about four weeks. I'll send it all here to Cory and then she will distribute the bags to you. Don't worry about privacy; all of the orders will be separated into paper bags, so no one else will see what you ordered."

Cory thanked Alice and after she left turned to the group. "So. Was this a good idea or what?"

Stella looked at Cory with a twinkle in her eye. "This was the best idea. Now what are we going to do with the rest of the night?"

Cory looked at Lindsay. "It's up to you, honey. We can stay here if you want or we can go out to some clubs if that's your idea."

Lindsay thought about it for a moment. "Can we go out to Trance? Just don't do anything embarrassing to me."

Cory looked at the other women. "Sure. Although I do suggest that we fix our make-up before going out."

The other women laughed and made a mad rush to the bathroom. Two hours later, everyone felt ready to leave.

When they got to the club, Cory made sure that the seven women stayed together as they walked up to the bouncer.

"Hey! Cory! Long time, no see," Bobby said as he opened up the velvet rope for the women.

"How you doing, Bobby?"

"Can't complain now that you're here! I didn't know that you were coming here tonight."

"I know. Spur of the moment decision. Bachelorette party. Is Jerry in?"

"He's walking the floor. Make sure you say hi to him."

Cory smiled. "Not a problem." She turned to the ladies. "Okay, girls. Ready for some fun?"

All the women nodded as they headed to the bar. Cory walked up to Arianna and said hi once she was free.

"Hey, Cory! Your usual?"

Cory nodded. "Yup. And something for my six friend here. You remember Lindsay and Stella, don't you?"

"Yeah. How could I forget them? You guys lit up the dance floor last time you were here with them."

"I'd also like to introduce you to Julie, Lydia and Kylie. Lindsay is getting married next month and this is her bachelorette party!"

Arianna smiled. "You getting married to that tall, dark and handsome guy that was here last time?"

Lindsay smiled. "Yeah."

"Good for you. Okay. First round is definitely on the house!"

After they had drunk the first round, _The Prodigy_, started playing and Cory dragged all of the women out on the dance floor. That was where they stayed until about four in the morning.

Cory smiled as Lindsay and Julie decided to go home. "Linds. I hope you had a good time!"

Lindsay smiled and hugged her. "It was perfect. Thank you so much! I need to go home now. I'm a little tipsy from all we've had to drink."

"Not a problem. Call me when you get home. I want to make sure that you made it okay."

She issued the same warning to the other women as they left the club and had Bobby catch a cab for her to go home.

Right as she got home, her cell phone rang. "Hey, Linds. You home okay?"

"_Yeah. I had fun tonight. We should definitely make this a regular thing. I love going dancing. I'm going to go crash now. See you tomorrow. Night."_

"Night. We'll see about making this a monthly outing."

Cory walked into her apartment and realized what a mess it was. _Oh, well. I'll clean tomorrow. Right now I just need sleep._ With that thought, she walked into the bedroom and fell into bed, careful not to wake Danny up.


End file.
